Queens’ museums embody the creativity and diversity of the borough

The unique culture and history of Queens can be found in the borough’s celebrated museums.

Right near the border of Astoria and Long island City, The Museum of the Moving Image showcases art, history, television and digital media. After a recent renovation, the museum boasts new interactive exhibits that explore all forms of media production, a vintage arcade exhibit, as well as a large-scale theatre that plays classic and modern hits, including a recent screening of a 70mm print of Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. The museum’s most exciting new addition is a permanent wing dedicated to the work of Jim Henson.

“There’s a deep connection between Jim Henson and Queens,” Carl Goodman, the museum’s executive director, said. “And that is the values embedded in his work. Acceptance of others, appreciation of difference, tolerance, the importance of diversity, creativity and collaboration not only embodies Jim Henson’s work, but also in a sense embodies Queens itself.”

Another iconic museum is the Queens Museum, which recently featured an exhibit dedicated to the punk band Ramones, who hail from the borough.

“I think that in a way the Ramones exhibit opens up a whole other level of relatability about what can happen in a museum,” Laura Raicovich, president and executive director of the museum, said.

The Queens Museum is also home to the Panorama, a 10,000-square-foot replica of New York City, as well as rotating exhibitions that illustrate the creativity and ethnic diversity of the people of Queens.

“The Queens Museum is a place that represents art and culture, about the times in which we live,” Raicovich said. “It is a place that connects the artistic visions of artists with the ways that we see the world around us.”